King Noah tried to cut Abinadi’s sermon short, but Abinadi was protected by the power of God. He continued his message, reviewing the rest of the Ten Commandments and then explaining that salvation comes not by the law, but through “the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people.”
Chapter Outline
- Abinadi is protected by the power of God – v. 1-10
- He reads the rest of the Ten Commandments – v. 11-24
- He clarifies the role of the law of Moses and the importance of God’s atonement – v. 25-35
My Takeaways
- When we trust God, we can fulfill assignments from Him with confidence.
- We need to write God’s commandments in our hearts by loving and living them.
- Like training wheels on a bicycle, laws can help us develop divine attributes.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ “Touch me not” – Mosiah 13:1-10
I Have Not Delivered the Message Which the Lord Sent Me to Deliver – Mosiah 13:1-4
1 And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad. 2 And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:…
Hearing Hard Truths
Noah and his priests were angry with Abinadi and labeled him as “mad.” We use a variety of strategies to avoid accepting difficult messages. We attack the messenger, we respond emotionally, or we look for allies. In the end, it’s better to actually listen
He Spake with Power and Authority from God – Mosiah 13:5-6
5 Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the…
❖ The Ten Commandments – Mosiah 13:11-24
What Does It Mean to Have the Commandments Written in Our Hearts?
The prophet Abinadi read the Ten Commandments to the priests of King Noah. They were all familiar with these commandments. They had probably all preached sermons about them. But Abinadi thought they needed to hear them again. Why? “I perceive that they are not written in your hearts,” he said (Mosiah 13:11). What does it…
In Six Days the Lord Made Heaven and Earth – Mosiah 13:16-19
16 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy…
Nor Thy Son, Nor Thy Daughter – Mosiah 13:18
18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;(Mosiah 13:18) The Sabbath Day provides parents with a great opportunity to teach their children…
The Sanctity of Life
A disciple of Jesus Christ has a reverence and respect for living things. “Thou shalt not kill,” God commanded on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17, Mosiah 13:21). And Jesus extended that commandment to less violent offenses: don’t get angry; don’t say unkind things. (See Matthew 5:21, 3 Nephi 12:21.) When we recognize that all…
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
On Mount Sinai, the Lord commanded, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). The prophet Abinadi reiterated this commandment as he spoke to the priests of King Noah. (See Mosiah 13:22.) A number of years later, priests led by Alma denounced “adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to…
Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
To ancient Israel, the Lord declared, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, Mosiah 13:23). He subsequently elaborated on this commandment: You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you…
Thou Shalt Not Covet
The first nine commandments are all about our behavior, but the tenth commandment is about our desires. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. Exodus 20:17, Mosiah 13:24 The word “covet” can mean simply…
❖ The law of Moses and the atonement – Mosiah 13:25-35
Types and Shadows
A type is a copy of something. A shadow is a representation of something. It’s important not to confuse the type or the shadow with the thing itself. Abinadi taught that the law cannot save us, but it can point us to Christ, who can save us.
Old Testament Foundations
God With Us
Isaiah prophesied that a virgin would bear a son and call him “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” As Abinadi testified, God Himself came to earth. Jesus fulfilled that prophecy. We are not only walking toward God and Christ. We are walking with Them.
A New Covenant
Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new covenant with us. He wants this covenant to be “written in our hearts.” That’s because covenants are all about relationships. We need to view our covenants as relationships, not merely a set of requirements.
“God Blessed the Seventh Day”
Are we so busy all the time that we aren’t enjoying our lives? Out of the seven periods of creation, God reserved the seventh one for rest. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:3, see…
New Testament Parallels
Fleshy Tables
How can we write God’s law in our hearts? (1) We can immerse ourselves in it, thinking and talking about it regularly. (2) We can increase our desire to obey it. (3) We can seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Flee Fornication
Paul urged us to run away from sexual immorality. He didn’t say to avoid it or to resist temptation. He said “flee.” Why? Because chastity in action, word, and thought is an affirmation of loyalty to your most important and permanent relationships.
“If Ye Love Me…”
When we love God, we want to follow His guidance. Obedience without love is not sustainable, but the good news is that as we keep God’s commandments, our love for Him grows. This piece by Thomas Tallis is based on the words of Jesus at the Last Supper.
Of Gnats and Camels
4 reasons we often “strain at gnats:” 1. We can only focus on one task at a time. 2. Our brains are programmed to look for threats. 3. Simple problems give us a feeling of achievement. 4. Distant or vague problems demand too little of us.
“As One Having Authority”
Jesus “taught…as one having authority.” What does that mean? His study of the scriptures had brought Him close to God, and His power as a teacher came from that closeness. Ammon and his brothers also “taught with power and authority” as did Abinadi.
“Lest Thou Dash Thy Foot”
A promise of protection is not a license to do stupid things. When Satan urged Jesus to leap from the temple, he was asking Him to focus on the wrong thing: the promise of safety instead of the work He had been sent to do.
Church History Connections
“Their Bounds Are Set”
Freedom to choose is not the same thing as unlimited power. That seems pretty obvious, but in our pursuit of freedom, we sometimes fail to acknowledge our constraints. And when other people are misbehaving, we may forget that they, too, operate within constraints, seen or unseen. Job pointed out that the ultimate constraint on every…
“My Law”
On the surface, the word “law” sounds like something that is imposed upon us, something that we are forced to obey, on pain of punishment. Book of Mormon prophets do in fact emphasize that there are consequences for disobeying the law. Lehi describes “the punishment which is affixed,” in contrast with “the happiness which is…
Truth
Our relationship with the truth is a fundamental part of our moral character. The prophet Jacob defined “truth” as “things as they really are, and…things as they really will be”(Jacob 4:13). (See also Doctrine and Covenants 93:24.) The Lord revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith that “All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed…
All Posts Referencing Mosiah 13
- Enoch and the Savior’s Ministry and Atonement (2/7/2026)
- Abinadi, Authority, and the Image of God (1/15/2026)
- Four Foundational Strategies (1/4/2026)
- Being the Father and the Son (5/19/2024)
- Types and Shadows (5/18/2024)
- Hearing Hard Truths (5/17/2024)
- God With Us (12/24/2023)
- A New Covenant (11/9/2023)
- The Promise and the Law (9/27/2023)
- Fleshy Tables (9/15/2023)
- Flee Fornication (8/27/2023)
- “If Ye Love Me…” (6/6/2023)
- Of Gnats and Camels (5/17/2023)
- “As One Having Authority” (2/25/2023)
- How Did Jesus Fulfill the Law? (2/18/2023)
- “Lest Thou Dash Thy Foot” (2/2/2023)
- Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness (4/22/2022)
- Thou Shalt Not Covet (4/20/2022)
- Performances and Ordinances (4/2/2022)
- Moses (3/22/2022)
- “God Blessed the Seventh Day” (1/9/2022)
- The Sanctity of Life (12/15/2021)
- “Their Bounds Are Set” (10/21/2021)
- Duty (9/21/2021)
- Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery (6/9/2021)
- “My Law” (4/21/2021)
- Truth (1/8/2021)
- Why Are Ordinances Important? (11/9/2019)
- What Is Authority? (10/15/2019)
- Why Did the Nephites Keep the Law of Moses? (8/11/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Have the Commandments Written in Our Hearts? (7/7/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection? (4/21/2019)
- I Perceive That They Are Not Written in Your Hearts – Mosiah 13:11 (7/4/2018)
- I Have Not Delivered the Message Which the Lord Sent Me to Deliver – Mosiah 13:1-4 (1/31/2018)
- Types of Things to Come – Mosiah 13:29-31 (10/27/2017)
- Because I Have Told You the Truth – Mosiah 13:3-4 (10/26/2017)
- He Spake with Power and Authority from God – Mosiah 13:5-6 (1/11/2017)
- In Six Days the Lord Made Heaven and Earth – Mosiah 13:16-19 (10/8/2016)
- Nor Thy Son, Nor Thy Daughter – Mosiah 13:18 (10/6/2016)
- To Keep It Holy – Mosiah 13:16-19 (10/5/2016)
- All Thy Work – Mosiah 13:16-19 (10/3/2016)
- It Matters Not – Mosiah 13:7-9 (8/4/2016)
- A Law of Performances and Ordinances – Mosiah 13:30 (6/6/2016)
- Salvation Doth Not Come by the Law Alone – Mosiah 13:28 (5/3/2015)
- Written in Your Hearts – Mosiah 13:11 (5/3/2015)